Monday, 3 November 2008

I have been searching for a long time for a book charting the history of mannequins and dress forms from their earliest days. I knew one must exist, but I just couldn't seem to find one - no matter how much I googled!

I found a lovely little hardback book called 'Counter Culture - The Allure of Mini-Mannequins' by Steven Heller & Louise Fili. It has lots of wonderful pictures detailing their personal collection of vintage mannequins, but didn't really go into the history in much detail.

Now, given that the name of the wonderful book I have found is called 'Mannequins', you wouldn't have thought it would have been that difficult to find! Never mind, I have it now ... and I love it!

It is a substantial hardback book and in between making my mannequins, I haven't been able to put it down. From the inside of the dust cover ... 'In this first international history of the mannequin, the result of over three years of concentrated research, Nicole Parrot describes its aesthetic developmet and the highly refined techniques of its production from its first appearance in the sixteenth-century Venice to today's hyperrealist models.'

It has lots of wonderful pictures and is a must read for anyone interested in vintage mannequins and dress forms. Some pictures from the book below ... enjoy! (p.s my pictures aren't great - but the book is!)

Sunday, 2 November 2008

I have had lots of requests recently for vintage style mannequins to be tailored in plain fabric covers ... so, I have been a busy bee with my sewing machine!

I now have a new range of plain fabric mannequins covered in a beautiful soft linen fabric from Laura Ashley called 'Austen'. The mannequins in the pictures are covered in natural and chalk pink, but other colours available are: cream, biscuit, duck egg and charcoal.

Each mannequin comes with either a corset laced back finish, or a traditional tailored back finish. Stand finishes are available in natural beech, black or ivory.

Please do get in touch if you have any ideas for other fabrics and types of finishes - I love a challenge!

Saturday, 4 October 2008

The purpose of these pages is to share my love of all things vintage, and in particular my passion for vintage and antique mannequins.

I just adore vintage manneqins! They are all so different and unique. From the wasp waisted mannequins of the 1800s through to the more realistically shaped mannequins of the 40s and 50s, each one has it's own individual personality.

They are a window to a time gone by and give us glipses into the lifestyles of the women who lived before us.